First place: Laura Robledo

Clara, his wife, was staring out the window down into the courtyard. As she turned to answer, her hair eerily moved in a way as if a breeze blew by, even though there was none.

"El Dorado? Why, what have you heard?" she asked.

"Oh, well for one thing," he said, leaning forward in his chair, his silver hair standing on end, "Matt, do you remember him? He was on his way to recess when he heard music playing and a woman laughing in the next room. He walked into the room. Music stopped. No one was in there, just empty desks." He leaned back in his chair, ruffling the newspaper with a flourish.

"Oh, John, you're just making that up. Ghosts don't live in that school. We would know," she chuckled to herself. She craned her neck out the window for a better view.

"Alright, well, what school do you think will win?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and wearing a mocking smile.

A bell rang outside. Its rings joined the chorus of screams and shouts of children playing outside.

"Ours of course," she said turning around, wearing a sad, but gloriously wide smile. She stretched out her transparent hand, swiftly moving through the air towards her husband.

"No one can haunt a school like we do. How long have we been haunting Annunciation again?" she asked.

"For as long as I remember," he said. "Come on, now that the kids are going back to class, let's join the Lancaster's in the music room. They've been there all morning trying to come up with something to scare people in the haunted house. You know, I have been dying to play the saxophone anyway...."

They tossed their heads back in laughter, gliding through the closed door.